RELEVANCE: Providing marine education is an important step in increasing understanding of the marine environment and the challenges it faces and in fostering a sense of stewardship of our coastal resources.

RESPONSE: The Seacoast Science Center, Gundalow Company and Great Bay Discovery Center are marine education organizations with a combined visitorship of over 80,000 per year. The Seacoast Science Center is a site-based, informal education center that specializes in rocky shore programming in Rye, N.H. The Gundalow Company is a boat-based maritime history and environmental education program in Portsmouth, N.H. The Great Bay Discovery Center is a site-based educational program of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and N.H. Fish and Game located in Greenland and specializing in estuary education. All three are able to complete their missions with the assistance of UNH Marine Docents.

RESULTS: The docents apply their Sea Grant training to provide programs and support to the three organizations, enabling the centers to significantly reduce the cost of programming staff and increase the number of programs they can provide and visitors they serve. Docents provided $73,636 worth of services to the three organizations during 2013.

Ocean Discovery Day highlights UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, doubles attendance
The new School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering was the highlight of the newly named Ocean Discovery Day. Since its inception in 2010 as Know the Coast Day, Ocean Discovery Day has given area residents of all ages an introduction to the wide range of marine-related work being done at UNH. Organized and staffed in large measure by N.H. Sea Grant staff and about 80 NHSG-trained UNH Marine Docent volunteers, 2013’s two-day event attracted about 2,000 visitors, which was more than double the 2012 participation, and included tours of two of UNH’s marine research and teaching facilities. For the second consecutive year the program included one day devoted strictly to school groups, designed to give potential undergraduates an understanding of how they could launch marine-related careers at UNH.

Discovery Cruises introduce residents and visitors to N.H.’s coastal resources
UNH’s Discovery Cruises continued to be popular outings during the summer of 2013, introducing over 300 residents and visitors to the state’s coastal resources during 12 cruises either out to the Isles of Shoals and the Shoals Marine Lab or into Great Bay and the Jackson Estuarine Lab. Ongoing for almost 20 years, these public cruises are day-long, activity-based educational events delivered by N.H. Sea Grant extension staff and UNH Marine Docents trained by N.H. Sea Grant aboard the university's research vessel, Gulf Challenger. Over 90% of the participants on Great Bay cruises reported increased knowledge of the physical and chemical characteristics of an estuary; the inhabitants of the estuary including plankton, eelgrass, oysters and horseshoe crabs; and the interactions between the biotic and abiotic. They also learned about tools and techniques used by scientists conducting research in the bay. Over 90% also reported an increase in their feelings of connectedness, curiosity and concern for the estuary. Participants in the Shoals cruises were introduced to the biological, oceanographic and cultural history of the Gulf of Maine through tours of Appledore Island and hands-on activities aboard the vessel. They learned about the rich productivity of the Gulf and how that led to the development of the fishing industry in New England. The natural history of the island was explored through tours of gull colonies and flora. Visitors also learned about the history of the island.

Inner city students provided opportunity to study N.H.’s coastal resources
The N.H. Sea Grant-supported UNH Marine Docent program provided a unique marine education experience to 100 disadvantaged inner city youth from the greater Washington, D.C., area in August 2013. The youth were part of the Higher Education Readiness Opportunity (HERO) program, an effort of the College Success Foundation to provide academic experiences they might otherwise not have to excite and motivate them to attend college and pursue careers like those in marine science. NHSG-trained docents introduced the youth to the mysteries of the Gulf of Maine through a series of hands-on activities at UNH’s Judd Gregg Marine Research Center in New Castle, N.H., and the Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory on UNH’s main campus. The students sampled water, examined microscopic plankton, sampled benthic mud on the R/V Gulf Challenger, drove underwater ROVs in a research tank, and met many of N.H.’s intertidal creatures.

N.H. Sea Grant-trained volunteers provide marine education to thousands
The UNH Marine Docents, a cadre of almost 220 N.H. Sea Grant-led and -trained volunteer educators, spent close to 6500 hours conducting marine education programs for state and area residents in 2013. This included 90 in-school SeaTrek programs for approximately 6500 students at 60 schools, five boat-based Floating Labs for 125 students, and four Day of the Coast programs, which provided over 130 SeaTreks to more than 800 students and teachers. SeaTrek programs provide an engaging educational experience designed to increase understanding of the marine environment and the challenges it faces, as well as foster a stronger sense of stewardship. The programs are closely aligned with, and support, both the NOAA-approved climate and ocean literacy standards and the recently released Next Generation Science Standards, which are expected to become the adopted science standards for K-12 formal education. Docents also staffed local nature centers and demonstrated the importance of our marine environment to several thousand citizens at events like Discover Wild N.H. Day, Tall Ships Weekend, and the Fish and Lobster Festival. Docents receive ongoing training at monthly meetings.

UNH Marine Docents refocus education programs to reflect current environmental problems
In 2013, UNH Marine Docents, N.H. Sea Grant-trained volunteer educators, utilized recent reports identifying nitrogen-based challenges to the Great Bay Estuary to update and refocus their Great Bay Estuary program. The team developed a presentation and hands-on activities to explain the sources of excess nitrogen in the system, show why excess nitrogen is a problem, and identify actions residents of the Great Bay watershed can take to help reduce the nitrogen load in the bay. This updated program is now being offered to schools and groups as part of the catalog of SeaTrek programs offered by the docents.

Also in 2013 the UNH Marine Docents updated a long-standing SeaTrek program that focuses on the beach habitat. This Sandy Beach program introduces students to the physical factors that create sandy beaches, and to the animals and plants that make it home. Particular attention is paid the source of sand and its relation to the watershed, the importance and fragility of the dune community, and the particular plight of the piping plover as an example of the interrelationship between the animals and physical environment of the beach.

New Hampshire Natural Resource Stewards receive estuary training
During 2013, training in the make-up and importance of the estuary was added to the introductory training given to the N.H. Natural Resource Stewards. The stewards are UNH Cooperative Extension volunteers dedicated to conserving and managing natural resources in New Hampshire cities and towns through providing education, outreach and service. Through a training program developed by N.H. Sea Grant educators, new stewards were introduced to the estuary in both field and classroom sessions that emphasized the importance of the estuary as a wetland, and its relation to the freshwater and marine environments nearby. The stewards will incorporate this training into their work delivering educational programs to adults and children, and as members of conservation commissions, land trusts and watershed associations.

Outdoor leadership undergraduates learn informal education teaching techniques
During 2013, N.H. Sea Grant educators developed a short course in informal education techniques for the field for an outdoor leadership course in the Kinesiology Department of the University of New Hampshire. The course utilized the framework of a class project for third graders in a local school to introduce teaching techniques effective in the outdoors. Practical techniques for student management and content delivery were combined with theoretical concepts of learning. The course also emphasized the lesson planning process in a standards-based context. The course was delivered to 20 undergraduates and is intended to be an annual component in the leadership program.

Citizen science, environmental literacy and aquaculture strengthened by undergraduate Doyle Fellows
During the summer of 2013 the Doyle Fellowship enabled two undergraduates to work alongside N.H. Sea Grant extension and education staff and support their work in citizen science, environmental literacy and aquaculture. Established in memory of its former associate director to address the need for workforce development in marine science and policy areas, NHSG’s Brian E. Doyle Undergraduate Marine Extension Fellowship program supported students from two N.H. universities. A Dartmouth College biology and environmental science major worked with NHSG’s coastal ecosystems specialist on a range of citizen science projects, including oyster restoration and eel monitoring. A University of New Hampshire junior worked with Sea Grant fisheries and aquaculture extension staff on developing community supported fisheries (CSF) in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and on marketing local seafood through the N.H. Fresh and Local seafood program.

N.H. Sea Grant strengthening statewide STEM education efforts
STEM New Hampshire is an informal organization formed in 2008 comprised of individuals representing formal and informal education, K-12 and higher education entities in N.H. The purpose of the organization has been to gather and share information about formal and informal STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs and opportunities in the state. In the face of recent state-wide interest and commitment to increasing the number of students engaging in STEM-related academic programs and potentially joining the STEM workforce, members of STEM N.H. are proposing to formalize a vision and mission for the organization that more aggressively pursues its original intent. N.H. Sea Grant educators have joined the executive committee of STEM N.H. and during 2013 provided significant consultation and support by establishing a strong connection to STEM entities and activities at UNH and to informal marine education efforts in N.H. and New England.

Nineteen new volunteers receive extensive marine education training
Nineteen new volunteers completed N.H. Sea Grant-led UNH Marine Docent training in 2013 and joined over 200 other docents as active marine educators. Docent education consists of lectures on marine topics by university professors, experienced docents or other professionals; communication and presentation skills workshops; field experiences; and "on the job" training. The training period initially lasts about five months, and docents are expected to attend lectures of their choice after the first year. Part of the training is learning a basic SeaTrek lecture or activity — such as the Rocky Shore or the Sandy Beach — as a way of acquiring the techniques necessary to present a program. Each new docent makes a two-year commitment to the program, but most stay much longer.

N.H. Sea Grant’s new website facilitates interactions with the program’s stakeholders
Launched in 2013, N.H. Sea Grant’s new Drupal-based website has improved the flow of information to the program’s many audiences. Incorporating both the former program website and the UNH/NHSG Marine Docent Program website, the new site allows staffers to maintain their own portions of the site and thus makes it more responsive to multiple users. It also features social media, becoming a two-way avenue of communication.

Sea Chantey Singers featured on rack card
N.H. Sea Grant produced a rack card, “Who are the Sea Chantey Singers?” in 2013. This publication provides a brief explanation of the history of sea chanteys in New England and the programs provided by the Sea Chantey Singers, a group of volunteers from the UNH/NHSG Marine Docent Program. New England’s rich fishing and sailing history stretches back more than 400 years, and the Sea Chantey Singers keep these songs alive to help preserve that heritage. The rack card has been distributed to libraries, chambers of commerce, and assisted living and senior centers to advertise their performance services and help educate the public about this aspect of the Seacoast’s history.

2012

Marine Education Centers Use NHSG-trained Docents to Increase Programming and Decrease Costs
RELEVANCE: Providing marine education is an important step in increasing understanding of the marine environment and the challenges it faces, and in fostering a sense of stewardship of our coastal resources.
RESPONSE: The Seacoast Science Center and Great Bay Discovery Center are marine education organizations with a combined visitorship of 82,000 per year that utilize volunteers trained in marine education by N.H. Sea Grant. The Seacoast Science Center is a site-based, informal education center that specializes in rocky shore programming in Rye, N.H. The Great Bay Discovery Center is a site-based educational program of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and N.H. Fish and Game located in Greenland and specializing in estuary education.
RESULTS: UNH Marine Docent volunteers apply their Sea Grant training to provide programs and support to the two organizations, enabling the centers to significantly reduce the cost of programming staff and increase the number of programs they can provide and visitors they serve. Docents provided $147,095 worth of services to the Seacoast Science Center and Great Bay Discovery Center during 2012.
RECAP: NHSG-trained docents provide a significant economic benefit to two N.H. marine education centers, enabling the centers to increase programming and expose more visitors to marine science.

UNH’s 2012 Know the Coast Day Draws an Enthusiastic Crowd
Since its inception in 2010, UNH’s Know the Coast Day has given area residents of all ages an introduction to the wide range of marine-related work being done at the University. Organized and staffed in large measure by NHSG staff and about 80 NHSG-trained UNH Marine Docent volunteers, this year’s two-day event attracted about 700 participants and included tours of two of UNH’s marine research and teaching facilities. New this year, the program included one day devoted strictly to school groups and was designed to give potential undergraduates an understanding of how they could launch marine-related careers at UNH.

Volunteers Power a Range of Coastal Research Projects
Established in 2011, NHSG’s Coastal Research Volunteer (CRV) program links interested residents with marine scientists in need of assistance with their research projects. During 2012, approximately 125 volunteers contributed 1883 hours assisting with a range of research efforts. These included playing a critical role in increasing the number of sites monitored and the frequency of data collection in a research project on horseshoe crab populations with observations made by the CRV comprising more than 50% of the total; monitoring blue mussels for toxic contaminants; enabling a researcher to complete saltmarsh vegetation surveys at four plots, identify unexpected rare plant species, and cut and harvest phragmites stalks within an eight acre plot for biofuel development; and assisting with raising over 11,000 oysters and restoring a quarter million new oysters to two-plus acres of reef in the Great Bay Estuary.

NHSG-supported UNH Course Introduces Students to Realities of Marine Science Careers
For over 40 years, students taking UNH’s Tech 797, which is supported in part by NHSG, have learned firsthand what it takes to solve real marine-related problems. Guided by faculty advisors, students work as members of interdisciplinary project teams to produce real solutions to real problems. The student teams define the problem, prepare a budget, conduct literature surveys, engage in dialogue with experts in the community, deal with vendors, design and build a working engineering model if applicable, gather and analyze scientific data, conduct a comprehensive study, and make interim reports. Often, their work leads to the discovery of new knowledge and the development of new technology. During 2012, nineteen students participated on five teams. One team developed an underwater remotely operated vehicle, another studied genetic resilience and diversity among eelgrass species, and another team investigated hydrokinetic power generation at a site on N.H.’s Piscataqua River. At the end of the course, the teams present their work to a jury of experts and provide NHSG with their final reports for submission to the Sea Grant Library.

Doyle Fellowships Provide Summer Opportunities for Undergrads with Marine Interests
Established in memory of its former associate director to address the need for workforce development in marine science and policy areas, NHSG’s Brian E. Doyle Undergraduate Marine Extension Fellowship program enabled four students representing three N.H. universities to work with NHSG staff during the summer of 2012. A Dartmouth College biology major worked on a range of aquaculture projects to culture rainbow trout, shellfish, oysters, scallops and mussels, while a visual arts student from UNH Manchester was instrumental in launching NHSG’s video production component by advising Communications staffers on equipment purchases, training staff, and producing the program’s first video. A UNH student interested in marine policy worked with city and regional planners, UNH climate change scientists and FEMA officials while working on NHSG’s coastal communities and climate change initiatives. A UNH marine biology student traveled with fishermen and conducted interviews to introduce them to the public and spread awareness of current fishing practices and the future of the fishing industry, developing a blog on the subject.

NHSG Discovery Cruises Documented in Video
For over a decade, NHSG Discovery Cruises have given area residents and visitors the opportunity to participate in half-day research cruises into the Great Bay Estuary or out to the Isles of Shoals and to tour marine labs in both locations. Working with a student videographer, Communications staffers produced a video about the cruises in 2012. The video will serve as a tool to advertise the opportunity and to give potential participants a better idea of how Discovery Cruises combine adventure with education.

New NHSG Website Facilitates Staff-stakeholder Interaction
Working closely with the entire NHSG staff, Communications built a Drupal-based website for the program during 2012. The new site replaces both the former program site and a separate site devoted to the UNH Marine Docent Program, NHSG’s marine education volunteer effort. Each area of the new site will be maintained by the staffers responsible for that particular topic, thus making the site much more responsive to stakeholder needs.

NHSG Marine Educators Take Residents and Visitors Discovery Cruising
UNH Discovery Cruises have a solid track record over nearly two decades of increasing knowledge and connectedness to N.H.'s coastal water resources. These public cruises are day-long, activity-based educational events delivered by NHSG Extension staff and UNH Marine Docents trained by N.H. Sea Grant aboard the university's research vessel, Gulf Challenger. The cruises travel into the Great Bay Estuary stopping at the Jackson Estuarine Lab, or out to the Isles of Shoals and the Shoals Marine Lab. NHSG offered 12 cruises in 2012, providing 415 participants with first-hand experiences in marine science. Over 90% of the participants on Great Bay cruises reported increased knowledge of the physical and chemical characteristics of an estuary, the inhabitants of the estuary including plankton, eelgrass, oysters and horseshoe crabs, and the interactions between the biotic and abiotic. They also learned about tools and techniques used by scientists conducting research in the bay. Over 90% also reported an increase in their feelings of connectedness, curiosity and concern for the estuary. Feedback is consistently positive about the value and quality of the educational experience. Participants in the Shoals cruises were introduced to the biological, oceanographic and cultural history of the Gulf of Maine through tours of Appledore Island and hands-on activities aboard the Gulf Challenger. They learned about the rich productivity of the Gulf and how that led to the development of the fishing industry in New England. The natural history of the island was explored through tours of gull colonies and flora. Visitors also learned about the history of the island.

NHSG Pamphlet Highlights Marine Literacy Programs Offered by UNH Marine Docents
NHSG produced the pamphlet, “UNH Marine Docents Program Offerings,” in 2012 detailing the in-school and boat-based programs offered by the UNH Marine Docents. Marine literacy standards are part of the N.H. state curriculum and these programs offer hands-on methods of improving students’ understanding of core STEM subjects. This pamphlet will be sent to schools throughout the Seacoast and interior N.H., thus improving advertising of these programs and likely increasing students’ interest in engaging with the docents on marine literacy subjects.

Sea Grant Education Network Awarded National Marine Educators Association President’s Award
NHSG’s Mark Wiley, Chair of the Sea Grant Education Network, accepted a President’s Award from National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) President Diana Payne at the group’s 2012 annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. The Network was cited for its extensive leadership contributions to NMEA through the Board of Directors, board committees, and conference planning. Numerous Sea Grant educators have been president or board members and the organization’s efforts in ocean literacy and science standards have been strongly supported by Sea Grant educators.

NHSG Marine Educators Lead Efforts to Establish Evolving Science Standards
Over the past several years, NHSG’s marine educators and docents have revised their SeaTrek and other education programs to make sure they support national ocean literacy standards and N.H. science standards. During this time, Mark Wiley, NHSG’s assistant director for education, has played a national role in this process and served as chair of both the Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association and the Sea Grant Education Network. During 2012, he worked as the NOAA partner on two education grants, the Families by the Sea Program and the Bay Watershed Education and Training Program to explain the Next Generation Science Standards, which will take effect in 2014, to 24 middle school teachers in the state. In addition, working under a three year National Science Foundation Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence grant, he is collaborating with colleagues at N.H.’s Seacoast Science Center to develop a Broader Impacts resource concept map website. The site will be a national resource for developing and nurturing relationships between scientists and informal educators to fulfill the outreach requirement of NSF grants.

Educational Programs Updated and Created by UNH Marine Docents
In 2012, UNH Marine Docents, NHSG-trained volunteer educators, developed a new SeaTrek program on cephalopods targeted to elementary and middle school students. The curriculum of the Octopus SeaTrek focuses on several cephalopod adaptations which allow octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid to camouflage themselves in the marine environment. The program uses several hands-on activities to engage the students and simulate the process cephalopods use to camouflage themselves.

The Plate Tectonics SeaTrek, offered by UNH Marine Docents to students in grades K-12, explores the ever-moving surface of our dynamic planet, Earth. Members of the Plate Tectonics SeaTrek team redeveloped a portion of the program in 2012 to introduce middle and high-school student to the types of life found at underwater thermal vents associated with tectonic plates. These communities utilize very different chemical and biological approaches to living in the hot, dark environment found at the vents.

Whales, dolphins and seals of the Gulf of Maine are discussed in the Marine Mammals SeaTrek Program, offered to all age groups. In 2012, a team of docents added a new hands-on activity to the program to demonstrate how whales find food in the dark. Using echolocation, pupils will understand how toothed whales identify sources of food that they are unable to see.

Recent reports identifying nitrogen-based challenges to the Great Bay Estuary prompted the UNH Marine Docent Great Bay Estuary program team to update and re-focus the program in 2012 to explain the sources of excess nitrogen in the system, explain why excess nitrogen is a problem, and identify actions residents of the Great Bay watershed can take to help reduce the nitrogen load in the bay. This updated program is now being offered to schools and groups as part of the catalogue of SeaTrek programs offered by the docents.

UNH Marine Docents Power Marine Education in New Hampshire
During 2012, the Marine Docents, a cadre of almost 200 NHSG-led and -trained volunteer educators, spent close to 7000 hours conducting marine education programs for state and area residents. This included 120 in-school SeaTrek programs for approximately 7300 students at 75 schools, six boat-based Floating Labs for 150 students, and six Day of the Coast programs which provided over 200 SeaTreks to more than 1200 students and teachers. SeaTrek programs provide an engaging educational experience designed to increase understanding of the marine environment and the challenges it faces, as well as foster a stronger sense of stewardship. The programs are closely aligned with, and support, both the NOAA approved climate and ocean literacy standards, and the recently released Next Generation Science Standards which are expected to become the adopted science standards for K-12 formal education. Docents also staffed local nature centers and demonstrated the importance of our marine environment to several thousand citizens at events like Discover Wild N.H. Day, Tall Ships Weekend, and the Fish and Lobster Festival. Docents receive ongoing training at monthly meetings, and the docent program recruited and trained 18 new docents this year.